Apple Education and ACS continue their partnership with the next group of scholars.
This Thursday, the 4th and 5th graders had a great time coding a robot at the Apple Store in Menlo Park Mall in Edison! Students learned how to use a coding app to program a robot to go through a maze and follow simple commands. They even had time to race their robots! Our ACS students can’t wait to implement what they learned!
Ukie Cafe
One way we practice our Ukrainian at ACS is by acting out different scenarios and practicing our vocabulary. This weeks classes included “Ukie Cafe”, brought to you by the 3rd and 4th graders! Traditional and untraditional foods were brought in by our Ukrainian teacher, Ms. K. The students took turns being the waiter and taking orders, and then the customer and placing an order. They used their notebooks as a reference sheets, in case they didn’t not remember how to say a certain food in Ukrainian. They ordered in Ukrainian, had simple conversations with each other in Ukrainian, and sampled a few delicious Ukrainian snacks. They did an excellent job with pronunciation and really put a lot of effort into their lesson. It was not only a learning experience but a tasty one, as well!!
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="897,898,899,900,901,902,903"]Passover Experience
The Classes of 2018, 2019, and 2020 gathered together on Holy Thursday afternoon to discuss and reenact the Passover meal that Jesus would have participated in as he celebrated the Last Supper with His apostles. Student leaders walked the classes through each step of the Passover meal pointing out the importance of each part of the meal. They compared the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt to the freedom from sin and death that Jesus earned for us through His death on the cross. They explained the symbols used in the Passover meal and finished with a prayer of thanksgiving. This was the perfect way to understand how God’s plan continued to be revealed to us just as He promised Adam and Eve.
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="877,878,879,880,881,882,883,884,885,886,887,888"]Good Friday Services at ACS.
On Good Friday morning, March 30, 2018 ACS students along with the parishioners of Ukrainian Assumption Catholic Church in Perth Amboy, NJ have gathered to commemorate the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus, the darkest and most somber moments of the New Testament narrative. Following the procession on Great and Holy Friday, the people came up to venerate the winding sheet (Plaschanitsia), making prostrations to the ground before kissing the wounds on the Saviour’s feet and hands.
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="863,864,865,866,867,868"]The Art of Easter
Students at ACS learned first- hand about the art of Pysanky. Seventh and eighth graders participated for a second year, while sixth grade had their first try at this art of decorating eggs for Easter. You might think that egg decorating is easy, but it is actually an art form that takes much patience.
Under the guidance of ACS librarian, Mrs. Fedynyshyn, our own Pysanky expert, students followed the intricate steps of preparing their eggs for each layer of dye. Retired ACS teacher Mrs.Lojko assisted Mrs. Fedynyshyn in this 2 day project.
Starting with bees wax, a small flame, and a stick called a Kistka, students etched their first layer while learning of the importance of finding the center of the egg and carefully mapping out their first design. Eggs were dipped in yellow dye then more wax was applied. The next was orange, followed by more wax designs. Next was red and finally black finished the whole process. Students removed the excess wax by holding their eggs near the flame to warm the wax and paper towel to actually remove the wax.
When students had finished their own Pysanky, they discussed their improvements from last year and their plans for participating in this new, old tradition next year. Thank you to Mrs. Fedynyshyn and Mrs Lojko for two afternoons of enjoyment.
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="858,859,860"]ACS’s Security Initiative Project: New Doors!
This past summer a great deal of time was spent reviewing ACS’s security and internal emergency procedures. A plan was created and it was decided to use our allocated City Security Funds, in addition to our own budget, to replace the school’s front office doors and replace our aftercare door’s hardware. I am happy to announce that the new doors were installed on Tuesday. They look great but more importantly work on an upgraded system that works effectively with our security cameras. ACS thanks C&M Door Controls, Inc. for their dedicated service, understanding of a small Catholic School’s budget and safety needs. In addition to the doors, more two way radios were purchased to increase communication. Our plan is to have one in every room by September. So, in addition to our intercom system, the “walkie-talkies” will make sure all classrooms have two ways to communicate to the office. If you have any concerns, suggestions or feedback concerning any issues please contact me. And come check out our new and secure doors.
Baskets for the Needy
Amarilis and Anali Rodriguez, two Assumption Catholic School alumni, saw the need in their community of Perth Amboy and wanted to help make a difference. They have been hosting donation drives to collect nonperishable goods throughout the Lenten season. This Monday, the Ukrainian Catholic Church of the Assumption in Perth Amboy, NJ contributed enough donations to provide twenty baskets to families in need for Easter. Amarilis and Anali are so thankful to the parish and their The Alma Mater for the continued support and generosity.
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="850,851,852"]Apple Education field trips
Yesterday started ACS’s kindergarten through eighth grade Apple Education field trips. We started with third and fourth grade attending a coding class. Since coding is essential to helping students thrive in a future driven by technology, teachers specifically selected this topic. This program teaches skills like critical thinking and problem solving and is used in conjunction with the “Everyone Can Code” curriculum with lessons on using the iPad. Today, Kindergarten and first grade were exposed to Tynker, an educational programming app that showed them how to make games and programs. Instead of typing the source code, you visually drag blocks of code and snap them together. Next, they used the Procreate app where they used the Apple pens to draw and create their favorite food and dessert. ACS is always looking for opportunities to introduce students to new concepts and technology. We will be incorporating what we have learned into our computer science curriculum in the fall. Stay tuned for the further Apple Adventures of Assumption Catholic School Students!
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="835,836,837,838,839,840,841,842,843"]Holy Thursday
On Holy Thursday, as part of ACS’s spirituality day, the first and second grades worked together. They reviewed the events of Holy Thursday and Good Friday accompanied by worksheets. In addition, a fun part of the day was a bread tasting experience. Each student sampled sour dough and pumpernickel rye breads as well as matzo. They noted their visual observations, the bread’s texture, and of course its taste. All agreed that the best part was the grape jelly on the matzo!
Phases of the moon
This week the 3rd grade students learned all about the moon. To help them understand about the different phases if the moon we created the “Phases of the Moon” using Oreo cookies! It was both educational and delicious!
[gallery type="rectangular" ids="827,828,829"]